Dubai Aerospace Enterprise is pushing to the top tier of global aircraft lessors after buying Nordic Aviation Capital in 2025 and Macquarie AirFinance in 2026, with leasing now accounting for about 85% of the business. In an interview at the IATA annual general meeting in Rio de Janeiro, chief executive Firoz Tarapore outlined a strategy built on scale, diversification and a larger aircraft portfolio, while the company’s engineering and maintenance arm continues to provide a secondary revenue stream.
The Macquarie AirFinance deal closed on 29 July 2026 and lifted DAE’s footprint to roughly 1,000 owned, managed and committed aircraft. That expanded fleet base strengthens the Dubai-based lessor’s role in aircraft financing and placements for airlines worldwide. DAE, which is owned by the Investment Corporation of Dubai, has paired its leasing expansion with an established airframe maintenance business in Amman, Jordan, giving it a broader platform than pure-play lessors. Tarapore described leasing as the dominant part of the company’s portfolio, with engineering accounting for the balance.